Bishop hopes international pressure will ease suffering of Congolese people
A bishop from eastern Congo said people in the area continue to suffer from an ongoing government-rebel conflict, and he hoped pressure from the international community would help relieve the...
View ArticleChurch leaders welcome peace in the Congo…. for now
The Catholic Church in the Congo rejoiced at the end of a yearlong military campaign in North Kivu by the defeated rebels of the M23 movement, but says that much remains to be done to consolidate that...
View ArticleBishops in southern Congo denounce increasing violence
Bishops in southern Democratic Republic of Congo have denounced growing separatist violence in the country’s Katanga province and criticised the national government for ignoring it. “Besides grave...
View ArticleFull text: The Pope’s speech to the Diplomatic Corps
Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, I thank you for your presence at this traditional meeting, which allows me at the beginning of each new year to offer to you, your families, and the peoples you...
View ArticleCongo’s bishops criticise West for failing to stop plundering of resources
Congo’s Catholic bishops have criticised the failure of Western governments to stop the abuse of Africa’s natural resources and urged Church groups to follow the Pope’s call to mobilise. “It is our...
View ArticleMorning Catholic must-reads: 08/03/16
Only three new priests will be ordained in the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires this year, the website Tres Líneas has reported (Spanish report). A Congolese priest has resigned as a parish priest in...
View ArticlePope hosts Congolese president as Vatican demands government ends violent...
Pope Francis has met with Congolese President Joseph Kabila, with the Vatican insisting that Congo’s government use respectful dialogue to end violent clashes with opposition forces over delayed...
View ArticleCatholic Church pulls out of national dialogue in Congo
The Catholic Church has pulled out of a national dialogue in Congo amid a stand-off between the country’s president and the opposition. “Only an inclusive dialogue which respects the constitutional...
View ArticleBishop Cantu: Congo’s bishops working hard to steer nation to peace
As the most respected institution in Congo, the Catholic bishops’ conference is putting enormous effort into steering the country onto a path to peace, said an official of the US Conference of Catholic...
View ArticleCongolese bishops renew offer to mediate election crisis
Catholic bishops in Congo have warned of chaos if government and opposition leaders fail to agree to a timeline for elections, and they reiterated their commitment to help arrange a compromise....
View ArticleCongolese president accepts bishops’ offer to mediate crisis
Congolese President Joseph Kabila has expressed support for Catholic bishops’ efforts to mediate a constitutional crisis after he extended his term in office. On December 5, Kabila met with Archbishop...
View ArticleCatholic leaders in Congo hail Church-mediated peace deal
Catholic leaders in Congo said they hope for lasting peace, after the bishops’ conference helped mediate a government-opposition accord. “We’re all saluting this great step, the fruit of a dialogue...
View ArticlePope laments plight of child soldiers fighting in Congo
Pope Francis has expressed dismay about clashes in the Democratic Republic of Congo he described as “violent and brutal.” In remarks to the faithful in St Peter’s Square on Sunday, Francis singled out...
View ArticleBishops urge Congolese: don’t blame the Church for delay to peace deal
The bishops of the Democratic Republic of Congo have urged citizens not to blame Catholics for delays to a peace deal. In a pastoral letter presented at a news conference in Kinshasa, the country’s...
View ArticlePriests in Congo ‘flee to the forest’ amid wave of violence against the Church
Congo’s bishops have said Catholics are facing a new wave of violence following the collapse of a Church mediation plan, and in some places Church leaders have fled to the forest. In late March, the...
View ArticleCongolese bishop spends Easter with prisoners
Bishop Dieudonne Uringi Uuci of Bunia, Democratic Republic of Congo, spent Easter visiting Bunia’s Central Prison, according to a report from Radio Okapi. He met with the inmates, led prayers and...
View ArticleSmartphone industry is built on ‘the blood of Congolese people’, says priest
Global demand for metallic ores used in mobile phones is thwarting efforts to end war and violence in Congo, an African priest has said. Any person who possesses a mobile phone or other electronic...
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